Yin and Yang
by Author-chan
Summary: It's no mystery that all the great fighters of the Bakumatsu are insane. But there are many ways to go crazy. Saito Hajime finds himself facing such a problem, a problem that manifests itself as Fujita Goro, the happy bumbling policeman...Humor
1. Two Sides

Author-chan's notes: BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It is I, A-chan, and I'm out with a new fic! Yay! Now I know I should be working on "Like Father Like Son" and "A Clean Slate", but I wanted to play around with this little idea. What can I say, I felt a little bit more insane than usual. Actually this little tale started a few days ago when I was stuck in the library with my friend Sam. We started talking about RK. Eventually, the conversation turned Saito. This fic is the result of that conversation between Sam and myself. Please enjoy! (And review, please!)

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me. If it did…Muhahahahahaha…

Yin and Yang

(Chapter One: Two Sides)

It wasn't a big mystery. In fact, nearly everyone knew about it. They heard the rumors. Some people even witnessed it first hand. With all the evidence that had been collected, there was absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind.

The killers of the Bakumastu were all insane.

We aren't talking about the regular foot soldiers though. We're talking about the big killers of the Bakumastu, the hitokiri, the ninja…

…the captains of the Shinsengumi.

Yes, all of them were off their rockers, all of them bloodthirsty killers.

But the big mystery wasn't _if_ they were insane, but _how_ they were insane.

After all, there _are _different ways of being crazy.

###

The comb ran through the fine black hair, making sure that none of the rippling mass went astray. Each long glossy lock was pampered and brushed to perfection.

Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.

A sigh vibrated throughout the room. Fujita Tokio did love to have her hair brushed. It was always so soothing, and it made her hair all shiny and healthy.

And it was a plus that she didn't have to do it herself.

Behind her, combing her hair, was her personal slave (ahem, husband), Fujita Goro.

"Mmmm, that's nice," Tokio murmured, leaning back to cuddle up to her husband more easily.

"Would you like me pin it up for you, darling?" Goro asked, giving her a gentle peck on the cheek. Tokio looked up at her smiling husband. She smiled back. She absolutely loved his smile, even though he smiled often. She could never get tired of his smile, it was so warm.

"Hai," Tokio answered, "Use the hairpin over there, the one with made of ebony with the cherry blossom ornament." Her husband smiled wider when he heard her choice.

"You mean the one I gave you for our anniversary?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes, it will match my new kimono," Tokio said, as she handed him the hairpin. Goro frowned at her words, his warm smile disappearing.

"I hope you're not talking about the kimono _he_ gave you," Goro half-growled.

"What other kimono would I be talking about?" Tokio asked, as she threaded the pin into her hair when she realized that her husband wasn't going to do it for her, "I think it's beautiful."

"It's too black," Goro murmured, "You look better wearing bright colors. Like red or green."

"_He_ says I look good in black," Tokio sniffed.

"He has bad taste."

"Goro!" Tokio cried out, horrified, "You shouldn't say such things! Especially about him! And he has _excellent_ taste, for your information! Did you even take a good look at the kimono he gave me? No? Well, it's black, with a silver cherry blossom pattern. The obi is white, contrasting beautifully with the kimono. _And_ the whole outfit is silk. Anyone would look good in an outfit like that! And you know how he doesn't like to express his emotions often. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to give that to me. You know that better than anyone."

"I know," Goro sighed, looking away from his bristling wife, "I wish I didn't know him at all, but I do."

"You can't change it, anata," Tokio said quietly as she began slipping into her outfit, "It's just how things are. And he isn't that bad."

"Yes he is!" her husband protested, "He's cold, cruel, and utterly heartless!"

"He cares about me," Tokio pointed out.

"He's still evil," Goro muttered, "He should have committed seppuku long ago following that code of his."

"And where would you be if he did?" Tokio asked, "If I recall, if he dies, so do you."

"Better death than being stuck with a homicidal killer," Goro stated. Tokio sighed. He could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Anata, if you would be so kind, would you let _him_ out now?" Tokio asked, "I want his opinion on how I look."

"Now?" Goro asked, surprised, "But I'm going to work at the police station soon!"

"Yes now," Tokio huffed, "Relax, anata, it will only be for a few minutes. You'll have plenty of time to get to work."

"But…" her husband began to protest. Suddenly, the man known as Fujita Goro froze, his entire face going ridged. Then he heard it, the voice that he hated oh so much…

__

'Let me out,' a dark voice hissed in the cop's ear, a hint of a howl vibrating within Goro's mind, _'She wants me, Fujita. Let me out, now!'_

"S-Shimatta," Goro gasped out as he felt something _push_ at his mind. One of Goro's white-gloved hands came up to clutch his aching head. When the hand finally lowered, the face that was uncovered had changed…drastically.

Gone was the cheerful smile with almost closed eyes and warm aura. Instead, a cold smirk graced his features and narrow, feral amber eyes glowed with a cold light causing the angles of his face to be more pronounced and menacing. "Fujita Goro" eyed his immaculately dressed wife with the critical eye of a hunter, of a wolf.

Normal women would have been frightened (or at least disturbed) by the sudden change in their husbands. But not Tokio. To her this was the norm.

"Good morning, Hajime," Tokio greeted her husband politely as if they had only just seen each other, "Did Goro give you a hard time again letting you out again?" Her husband snorted.

"Goro's resistance is futile," answered he, "I would be ashamed of myself if I couldn't defeat even my other half."

"Hajime," Tokio sighed, "You and Goro always act like such children towards each other. When are you two going to accept the fact that you are both different personas of the same man?"

"Until one of us dies," he answered.

Tokio sighed again. That was the problem with being married to Fujita Goro…or should she say Saito Hajime?

"Men," Tokio scoffed.

###

Tokio was not an unhappy woman. Quite the opposite really. She had everything that she could wish for. Well there was that problem with her husband…

…Or should she say _husbands_?

She had known the dangers when she married a veteran of the Bakumastu. She had known that nearly all the great killers of the war were insane. She had been fully prepared to encounter a bloodthirsty killer when she had learned of her arranged marriage with the former 3rd captain of the Shinsengumi, Saito Hajime.

However, she had not expected that her new husband's madness manifested itself in the form of an alternate personality.

She had learned, to her surprise, that locked within her spouse's mind were two vastly different men. One was Saito Hajime, the 3rd captain of the Shinsengumi. Hajime was proud, strong, and aloof. He had a strong sense of justice and bowed to no one. Hajime was like a wild wolf, unpredictable, powerful, but fiercely loyal to his beliefs, his country, and his mate. Tokio had no doubt that Hajime would slaughter an entire troop just to keep her safe. In fact, he had nearly done that once.

Her husband's second personality was Fujita Goro. Goro was the yang to Hajime yin. While Hajime was a relic from the bloody wartime of the Bakumastu, Goro represented the peaceful new future of the Meiji Era. Goro was gentle, patient, and cheerful. He laughed and showed his feelings more easily than Hajime ever could. Goro was also much more merciful than Hajime, whose code of Aku Soku Zan offered no exceptions and no second chances. That was why it was Goro, not Hajime, who trained the new recruits at the police station. There was absolutely _no_ way that those young men would be able to survive under a former Shinsengumi captain's tutelage.

At first, Tokio had been horrified when she discovered her husband's condition. But over time, she had gotten used to it. She had quickly fallen in love with her husband, both sides of him. To her, Goro and Hajime where like pieces of a whole. One simply could not have one without the other.

Sadly, Goro and Hajime did not see it the same way.

Despite the fact that their wife loved them both equally, the two halves hated one another. Hajime despised the fact that there was such a "weak" side to him. And Goro was constantly horrified that he shared brain space with someone who killed as easily as Saito Hajime did.

Tokio thought that her husband was the most idiotic, foolish man she had ever met. If only she could knock some sense into him…

…But how?

Glossary

Bakumastu- the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate; Was very chaotic and there was constant fighting between the supporters of the shogunate and the supporters of the emperor (Ishin Shishi)

Hitokiri- "manslayer"; "assassin"

Shinsengumi- "Newly Selected Corps"; Group that supported the shogun; it was their duty to patrol the streets of Kyoto; also known as the Wolves of Mibu

Hai- "Yes"

Anata- "you"; when used by a wife addressing her husband it means along the lines of "darling"

Shimatta- all purpose curse word

Aku Soku Zan- "Slay Evil Instantly"; motto of the Shinsengumi

Author-chan's notes: BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! First chapter is finished! Now I know what all of you are thinking that I'm insane. Yes I am. I mean, giving Saito a split personality?

Everyone always acknowledges that the Rurouni and Battousai are two different sides to Kenshin, but hasn't anyone thought what is the difference between Saito and Fujita? I mean think about it! Saito acts so differently when he's in Fujita mode! Heck, even the sound of his _voice_ changes! So this little fic is going to explore the lives of Saito and Fujita, as well as Tokio. _Rubs hands together._ This is going to be so fun…

Well, please R&R!!!


	2. Officer

Author-chan's notes: Hiya everybody! A-chan here, with the second chapter! You see, Sam has been asking me to hurry up and write the next installment, so here I am! Anyway, please enjoy!

Key:

"Speaking"

__

'Thoughts'

&&& Scene change

Yin and Yang

(Chapter Two: Officer)

Fujita Goro was sighing to himself. He had only _just_ left the house after wrestling control away from Saito. And, as usual, after taking back control of the body, he was late for work because of that damned wolf.

__

'Che,' Saito's voice snorted in his head, _'Don't blame me. It's your own fault that you're so slow.'_

"I have no idea what you mean," Fujita murmured under his breath, making sure that none of the people on the street heard him, "It's not _my_ fault that the body is out of shape."

__

'Ahou,' Saito growled, _'I find it astounding that you are always running late for work, yet _I_ am able to keep up with Battousai in a duel.'_

"Sometimes I have the distinct feeling that Himura-san slows down just for you, Saito," Fujita hissed back, "After all, he is the kind of person to take pity on those weaker than him."

__

'Ahou,' Saito growled again. But the former Shinsengumi captain didn't speak again, even as Fujita neared the police station.

"Late again, Fujita-san?" the young voice of the officer that guarded the doorway teased good-naturedly as Fujita entered the station, "Your old age must be catching up to you."

"But with age comes wisdom," Fujita replied, smiling at the younger officer who had spoken, "Besides, I am not _that_ late."

"True," the other officer agreed, laughing casually.

__

'"With age comes wisdom"?' Saito repeated with a hint of a mental sneer, _'That was the stupidest cliché I have ever heard from your mouth, Fujita! And that idiot over there actually enjoyed it! What sort of company do we keep nowadays?'_

'The good kind,' Fujita retorted mentally. Saito snorted.

"So, Fujita-san, you know we have a new batch of troops for you to teach, right?" the young officer chatted on, oblivious to his superior's mental conflict, "It's not the usual hand-to-hand fighting either. All of these men are signing up for the Sword-Bearing Police. So you know what that means. Training, weapons, and all the paperwork that comes with it! Well, I suppose it's time to meet your new students."

__

'You mean, the new meat,' Saito snickered. Fujita shuddered slightly. He could almost _see_ the sadistic smirk forming on Saito's face.

__

'Don't even think about getting anywhere_ near them!'_ Fujita hissed at his other half, _'They are under _my_ protection.'_

'You're like an overprotective mother hen,' the Miburo scoffed, _'How pathetic.'_

'Why won't you just leave me alone, you old relic!' Fujita cried despairingly.

__

'Because I am the true owner of this form,' Saito snarled, picking his words to make sure they bit deep and hard,_ 'I am the Wolf. You are nothing but the sheepskin that I must use to live among the lambs.'_

&&&

Cho was irritated. He was a warrior, damn it! He was Cho, the Sword Collector, a member of Shishio Makoto's feared Juppongatana. He was _not_ a babysitter, thank you very much.

But here he was, looking after a batch of new recruits, new recruits that Saito would be teaching.

Now Cho had only worked with Saito on undercover missions, battles, or raids. He had yet to witness the former Shinsengumi captain's teaching skills. But what he knew of the old warrior, he was sure that he would be in for an entertaining time. That was more that enough to make up for having to baby-sit idiotic newbie cops.

__

'That psycho wolf will eat them alive,' the blond swordsman thought darkly, snickering to himself.

"Um, sir?" a hesitant voice inquired, jarring Cho from his gloating.

"What?!" Cho snarled, glaring at the young new officer who dared to speak to him. The young man cringed at Cho's biting tone.

"We, that is the other recruits and I, wanted, uh, we wanted," the young officer began tentatively, "We wanted to know what our instructor would be like."

"What's he like?" Cho echoed, surprise stamped on his features. The former Juppongatana stared dumbly at the recruits before him. All of the new officers had gathered around Cho waiting for him to speak about their mysterious teacher-to-be.

"Sai– I mean –Fujita-san," Cho began, quickly correcting himself to use Saito's alias, "Fujita-san is…terrible. He's demanding, cold, and cruel. He will push you to your limits and then ask for more. He will work you to death…literally. And if you are wounded or if you faint, Fujita san will sneer at your crippled body, run you through with his katana, and then sneer at your corpse before feeding it to the crows and wolves. He hates weakness, so pray that you're strong, or you'll die."

"You can't be serious!" one of the recruits gasped, "Who would be able to survive his training?"

"Actually, I've never met anyone who has survived his training," Cho mused, grinning to himself when he saw that ever single newbie face became incarnations of pristine sheets of paper.

__

'Oh yeah,' the broom-haired man thought with a snicker, _'I feel better. Saito is going to thank me. I got all of these idiots pissing in their pants for him!'_

Then Cho heard a slight creaking behind him as the doors to the room began to open, and the familiar form of Saito Hajime appeared.

"Time to meet your doom," Cho told the new recruits, cheerfully, "Try not to scream too loudly as you enter hell."

&&&

Fujita strode through the doorway, trying to ignore the obvious wave of fear that the new recruits were emitting. Although Fujita did admit that the ki sensing abilities that Saito developed during the Bakumastu were helpful at times, sometimes being able to feel such strong emotions made Fujita's stomach turn.

__

'Damn it, Saito!' Fujita growled at his other self, feeling his protective instinct kick in, _'What did you have Cho do to them?'_

'Nothing,' the darker half replied, _'Cho seems to have riled them up all on his own. Heh, imagine that. That ahou actually has enough brains to think on his own. Unlike you, my dear mother hen.'_

Fujita sighed at the ridiculous nickname, but didn't bother to answer Saito. Instead he carefully plastered his disarming "Fujita Goro" smile on his face and prepared himself to reassure his chicks (I mean troops).

"Ohayo!" Fujita greeted cheerfully, his smile wide and warm to reassure the new men, "I am your instructor, Fujita Goro. As I understand it, all of you desire to become part of the Sword-Bearing Police. Your paperwork has already been processed, or is on its way in being processed. You'll be issued a weapon once I believe you are ready to wield one. You all have the potential to become master swordsmen, just work hard and do your best. I will be here every step of the way, and you can come to me whenever you wish for help, whether it is police business or not. My door is always open. Now, if you will all follow me to the training area, we'll begin."

&&&

Cho was in shock, total shock. Even his shock in discovering the feared Hitokiri Battousai was a tiny redhead that looked more like a child than a legendary demon was nothing compared to this. Heck, if Shishio appeared from out of hell wearing a pink kimono with an obi tied in a matter that would have made Kamatari green with jealousy, Cho would have been less surprised than he was at the moment. Okay, so that last part was an exaggeration, but still!

Saito Hajime, one of the feared Wolves of Mibu was _smiling_! No smirking, smiling! Saito didn't smile, not like that! The current smile the Miburo was sporting was so warm and kind it would have put fluffy pink bunnies to shame! And although Cho couldn't read ki as well as Saito could, the aura of cheerful reassurance oozing out from the Bakumastu veteran was so strong, any idiot within _miles_ could feel it. Was he actually trying to calm the troops? Well if he was, it was working. All those stupid little innocent newbies were relaxing in Saito's presence. Well how could they not when that senile old wolf was acting more like a kindly big brother than the fierce warrior he was!

__

'Chikuso!' Cho swore mentally, _'After I got them all terrified of him and everything, he goes and ruins it! What is he thinking?! Did he pick a fight with Battousai and get whacked over the head one too many times? Or maybe this is some sort of weird Saito plot to make me think that I'm going crazy…That has to be it! That wolf always had it out for me…He's just waiting for me to flip my lid so he can laugh his ass off! KUSO!'_

Satisfied with his answer, the blond smirked to himself, leaned back, and plotted revenge against his superior.

"No one makes a fool of Cho the Sword Collector," the former Juppongatana member muttered to himself, "No one."

&&&

Fujita was feeling much better as the day wore on. He eventually was able to convince the troops that he was absolutely harmless, to the chagrin of Saito (and Cho). Saito, in some dark corner of his mind, was muttering something about ruining "his reputation". Saito also kept saying that Fujita looked like and utter fool (But then again, Saito said that everyday). But Fujita didn't mind in the slightest. The troops were relaxed in his presence and that was all that mattered. Their attitude towards him caused the teaching environment to be that much better.

At the moment Fujita was having the recruits go through some basic body building exercises. Earlier, they had done various stretches and running/reflex drills. After seeing their performance on the drills (as well as the level of the troops ken ki), Saito had snorted and wrote them all of them off as a lost cause. Fujita, although he agreed that the recruits did need some major improvement, believed all of them had potential. But one thing was for sure: none of them were going to hold any type of sword anytime soon.

"Alright class!" Fujita called out, "Let's call it a day. I will be expecting all of you here tomorrow at the same time. Good day."

As the troops filed out, Fujita took note of the usual grumbles new recruits always had: sore muscles, tiredness, and lack of actual sword fighting. He was pleased to note that there was not too much complaining on him himself. And there were no mentions of him being cruel.

"Okay, what the hell was wrong with ya today?!" Cho's snarling voice yelled out when the last new recruit left.

Fujita turned to look at the Juppongatana who had since become his personal lackey/assistant, blinking as much as his all but closed eyes would allow.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Cho-san," Fujita said in a pleasant tone, his award-winning smile firmly in place.

"'Cho-san'?!" Cho yelped, clearly taken back by Fujita's politeness, "Alright, that's it! Who the hell are you and what have you done to my boss?!"

"That is a terribly rude thing to say, Cho-san," Fujita scolded gently, "As I recall I am your boss so hence I have done nothing _to _your boss. I have no idea why you're so jumpy today, though. You're acting like I should be someone else. If I recall, I have always been like this."

Cho sputtered, trying not to faint. Meanwhile, Fujita congratulated himself mentally. Even Saito sent a bit of praise towards his other half, abet grudgingly. If there was one thing Saito and Fujita had in common (besides Tokio and the body) it was the enjoyment they got when tormenting/confusing Cho.

__

'If I had known introducing you_ to that ahou would have rattled him up this badly, I would have done it ages ago,' _Saito snickered, finding amusement in Cho's discomfort, _'And you didn't lie once when you talked to him.'_

'Cho-san is easy to stupefy,' Fujita commented, _'If I can convince him that we have always been like this –been me that is –he'll think he imagined all the times you've been bastard to him. He'll think he went crazy.'_

'And if we were to switch again,' Saito pointed out_, 'He'll go completely insane.'_

'Do you think he'll ever figure it out?' asked Fujita. There was a moment of silence.

__

'No,' both sides chorused.

&&&

Cho stared at his superior, his mouth hanging open like a gaping door. Saito, Fujita –_whatever _the hell he wanted to call himself at the time –was freaking him out! It was –kind of –understandable to act all nice and freaky and stuff when the recruits where here, but now that they were all gone, Cho thought it would be perfectly fine for Saito to drop the whole Fujita act. After all, Cho knew Saito. He knew what the wolf was capable of. He knew that the former Shinsengumi captain was a complete bastard. There was no need for Saito to hide.

"ARGH!!! Quit messing with my head you psycho wolf!!!" Cho yelled out loud, before storming off, away from his boss's sight. Cho walked out of the station and didn't slow down his pace even when he reached the main street. The blond snarled at anyone who would dare to get near him or try to jostle him.

He knew Saito was messing with his head, but still, he let the wolf get to him. He couldn't understand it. Needless to say, Cho's mind was in turmoil. Maybe the reason he was so freaked out was because while Saito had been claiming that he had always been kind and cheerful, Cho couldn't detect a lie in his boss's eye or tone. Something in Cho was convinced that Saito was telling the absolute truth. Could the wolf have always been kind and Cho was delusional and just imagined him being evil?

"Damn it, I need to kill something!!!" Cho yelled out loud…in the middle of the street.

Quickly, everyone and everything with in ten feet of Cho moved away and vanished. But something took their place in an instant. A group of police officers, none of which that worked with or knew Cho, came up to him.

"Sir, we have to ask you to come with us," one of the police officers said in a calm voice, while another brought out a pair of silvery handcuffs.

Cho did the only thing he could do in his situation.

He swore.

&

Author-chan's notes: BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Cho torture! Now don't get me wrong, I like the idiotic houki-atama. But it's just so fun…

Also, notes on Fujita's personality. Obviously, all I've got to go on for Fujita is those brief appearances when he was talking to that corrupt official, and when he was talking to Sanosuke as a medicine peddler. I went on that, and then things went from there. Um, I suppose what I really wanted when I was making up Fujita was someone who was nice, but really rather normal. Then Fujita began to develop as a separate persona from Saito, becoming more of a mother-hen/big brother and overprotective. But make no mistake, he is _still_ Saito deep down inside, just like how Battousai is still Kenshin. As you can see, he takes some delight in tormenting Cho. Fujita also cares deeply about Tokio (obviously) and takes life seriously. Fujita doesn't look away from the truth, even though he might want to. He has a strong sense of pride, just like Saito. He just hides it better with his mother-hen attitude. And yes, Fujita is every inch as addicted to cigarettes as Saito is.

Please R&R!!!


	3. Greetings

Author-chan's notes: Hi, everyone! See, I'm not dead! Yes, you're all probably wondering where I've been…I've had this chapter typed up for ages! But between computer viruses, schoolwork, laziness, getting my computer fixed, and more glitches, time has not exactly been on my side. So, to make up for my delays, I've combined chapter three with chapter four (which I've also had typed up for a very long time) to make a bigger chapter! Anyway enough of my talk, lets get back to the important things, like finishing up this story before Sam gets too angry at me…Enjoy chapter three!

Key: 

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**qpqpqpqp**Scene change

Yin and Yang 

(Chapter Three: Greetings)

Cho was as furious as a hellcat. He. Was. In. JAIL! Of all the irony! He had thought that he had spent his last moment in jail after that whole thing with Shishio. Nowadays he was supposed to be _guarding_ prisons, not in them!

"Chikuso," Cho growled, glaring at the bars that kept him trapped, "When I get my hands on that idiot who put me here…"

Cho continued to glower at the bars and began to think back on how he got in his "predicament". He had been pissed and confused and had wandered off into town. Then he had yelled out –for the whole street to hear –how he needed to kill something. Of course a group of cops had to come in at that _exact _moment and arrest him. They gave their reasons to him as some crap about "disturbing the peace", "threatening innocents", and –oh yeah –"carrying illegal swords".

And of course at that exact moment, Cho was carrying four (very rare and precious) swords on him. Although it wasn't as much as he usually carried around, let alone his entire collection, they were enough to convict him.

Of course, Cho had permission to carry the blades. He _knew_ he had permission. That bastard wolf Saito made him fill out all that paperwork so that he would get a license to carry each bloody (no pun intended) blade! So all things considering, Cho shouldn't have been arrested on the weapon's charge.

Unfortunately, Cho's papers were back in the office, along with any identification that proclaimed him an officer. To the cops that arrested him, he was a regular citizen, and a criminal to boot!

Damn it, he was an undercover cop! If he carried all that official crap with him each time he went out his cover could be blown in an instant!

So in reality, it wasn't his fault, AT ALL!

But that didn't help him one bit, so he was stuck in jail.

Without his swords as well. Of all the humanity! Every single weapon Cho had been carry had been stripped from him. Even his constant companion, the Hakujin no Tachi had been taken away, even though it had been in its usual hiding place wrapped around his waist and hidden by his ever present raggedy flame-colored coat.

"Idiots," Cho muttered under his breath, thinking back on the men who arrested him, "Did they really need to do a strip search? Is this how they treat all prisoners? I probably outrank all of them too. Ha! Disrespecting a commanding officer! I could probably get them in trouble with the police chief… and stuff."

So Cho sat in his cell grumbling to himself about incompetent cops.

Then, he suddenly got a brilliant idea!

"I'll break out of jail!"

**qpqpqpqp**

Fujita Goro took a deep drag from his cigarette. It was his lunch break and he was currently at a small soba stall eating a bowl of his favorite noodles as well as partaking in one of the few bad habits that he shared with Saito: smoking. Yes he knew that the little white cylinders were probably bad for him (the first few times he tried them he ended up coughing like a cat with a hairball), but they were just so addictive! The things helped numb his mind a bit and there was an unspoken agreement between Fujita and Saito that when one of them was smoking, the other would be silent. Either that or the cigarettes numbed the man's mind so well that only one personality could be strong enough to exert a presence.

In other words, smoking for Fujita Goro/Saito Hajime, had taken on a meditate quality.

No other substance in the world gave the former Shinsengumi the peace of mind that his cigarettes did. Even back in the Bakumastu when Saito drank sake did his mind relax like they did with cigarettes. Sake tended to increase the wildness within the wolf making him more prone to violence. It was no wonder that Fujita never touched a drop of it: he was too worried that it would cause Saito to come out more frequently. Saito simply didn't drink it anymore because he liked being in control of himself, and by loosing control he would reveal himself as a violent relic from the Bakumastu to the peaceful Meiji world that frowned upon such things.

So there was Fujita smoking with a half eaten bowl of soba in front of him. Fujita (and on occasion Saito) frequented the stall so often that the owner already knew his schedule and habits. The other customers knew his habits as well, so everyone there had already gotten used to his smoking addiction. They also knew about how he would mutter under his breath now and then inaudibly. No one ever inquired about his odd little habit. They just assumed that there was a lot on his mind often. That plus, one look at his uniform and everyone just thought it best to keep away from the cop, despite his usual good cheer.

It was a big surprise then when they saw the dark-haired cop suddenly stand up and look into the crowd milling past the establishment, craning his neck as if to get a better look at something. All the regulars at the stall, as well as the owner himself, knew that the cop (whether in his good or bad mood) never did something out of the blue. Everything that the lanky officer did was planned and orchestrated to perfection, from inhaling his cigarette to carefully slurping his noodles. For the man to get startled, the other soba dinners thought, something very strange must have happened.

The owner and the other customers were in for another surprise as the tall cop tossed some coins on the counter to pay for his meal and then walk quickly away. The other customers and the owner instantly began gossiping. For the officer to break his routine like that, something must be very wrong! The man even left half of his soba uneaten!

**qpqpqpqp**

Tokio had decided that for lunch she would go out to eat, which was a change for her. Normally Tokio stayed at home, cooking a meal for her toddler son, Tsutomu and the young ward Hajime had brought home to live with them, Eiji. However, today was different. There had been some odd happenings going on earlier that Tokio couldn't shake off.

First, she had nodded off to sleep while doing chores. Tokio never went to sleep while doing chores! Such a thing happened as rarely as the times her husband stopped smoking for an entire day. Yes, something was very unusual was happening to Saito/Fujita Tokio.

Then there was that dream she had! In it there was a young man. Tokio felt sorry for the lad. If Hajime ever found out he had invaded her mind…well let's just say the poor man would find out the meaning of "Aku Soku Zan" very, very quickly. But the odd thing was, Tokio didn't know who the stranger in her dream was. Tokio had an excellent memory, and she knew that she had never met the man before. However, it seemed that he knew her.

"Tokio-san," the young man had greeted her with a dazzling smile, one that would have made Goro almost jealous, "I've heard you are in need of assistance."

"'Assistance'?" Tokio had repeated, confused.

"Yes," the man had nodded, "With Saito-san and Fujita-san. I'm here to help with their problem with disagreeing with each other."

"Why?" had questioned Tokio, "And how?"

"Well," them man had said still smiling, "It's partially my fault that your husband is the way he is. And he and I are, um, _were_ friends. I owe him quite a bit. And as for how I'm going to help, well I'm here to give you a gift as well as some advice on how to use it."

"Oh," Tokio had nothing much to say to that. The man simply gave her another radiant smile.

"A little advice, Tokio-san," the man told her, "Today, go outside, don't stay in the house. You'll meet someone very…uh, interesting. But don't worry! He's a frien –I mean acquaintance –of your husband's. You'll know him when you see him. The poor man stands out like a sore thumb! And he will be your first test subject."

"Test subject for what?" Tokio had asked. The dream just seemed to become more confusing by every passing moment. For goodness sakes, the man hadn't even introduced himself yet!

"You'll test out the gift I'm going to give you," the man had explained, "It might be a good idea to try it out on someone else first before trying it out on your husband. That's why I'm pointing you out to your test subject. Um, you probably would want both of you to sit down when you use it. It's very simple to work with. Just hold his hand and concentrate. Everything else should be self-explanatory. Understand?"

"H-hai," Tokio had nodded, her voice just a bit uncertain, "But what exactly are you giving me?"

"A way into people's hearts," the smiling man replied, giving her a wink, "Oh, and don't tell Saito-san that I did this. He would be very angry and try to kill me…again."

With that being said, the man gave Tokio a chaste kiss on the forehead, like a father would kiss his daughter goodnight.

And then Tokio woke up.

When Tokio awoke, she had quickly brushed off her dream as just that, a dream. However, she couldn't brush off the feeling that something strange was going on. So, being too rattled to prepare a meal, Tokio decided to take the boys out for lunch and thus ("unintentionally") following the dream man's instructions.

"What's this place called again, Tokio-san?" Eiji's voice asked, bringing Tokio back to the present. Tokio started slightly then read the sign proclaiming the name of the restaurant she had chosen to go to.

"We're at the Akabeko, Eiji-kun," Tokio said, answering the boy's question, "I heard they served excellent sukiyaki beef-pots here."

**qpqpqpqp**

Fujita was only mildly conscious that his cigarette was still sticking out of his mouth and that he didn't bother to put it out before he started pushing his way through the crowd. He was too intent with following his quarry that he simply did not care.

When he had been sitting eating his lunch, Fujita had caught a flash of something out of the corner of his eye. It was a flash of red hair.

_'Himura-san!'_ Fujita had gasped mentally as his legs pushed him up into a standing position all on their own accord. Fujita hardly remembered tossing a handful of coins to pay for his meal before he headed off to chase the former hitokiri.

Fujita didn't understand why he was following the red-haired swordsman. Usually it was only Saito who dealt with the man that was once known as Hitokiri Battousai. In fact, Fujita had never really met Himura Kenshin, only his other darker half had.

As he thought about it, Fujita realized that it was curiosity driving him. Himura was the only man living that had known Saito back during the Bakumastu. Well, Nagakura was still living, but he was holed up in Hokkaido somewhere. Also Himura was one of the few people to cross swords with Saito and still walk away...maybe even the only one.And what was it about Himura that made Saito forbid Fujita in meeting with the redhead?

Fujita went through all the information that he had collected about the ex-hitokiri in his head, his curiosity building. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. Saito had always suppressed his gentler half whenever he dealt with the redhead, sometimes using cigarettes to do so. After any confrontation with Himura, Fujita had ended up with only a few snippets of what had occurred. So in all reality, all Fujita knew about Battousai were from the rumors he had heard from the street and the occasional mutter from Saito about his rival.

From Saito as well as the rumors, Fujita knew that Himura had been active in the Bakumastu for five years, before disappearing. What Himura did after he disappeared, Fujita didn't know. Saito never thought it fit to give him that information. All Fujita knew was that Himura had suddenly appeared at the Kamiya dojo in Tokyo after ten years of invisibility. Himura specialized in battoujutsu, the attack that had earned the nickname Battousai. It was the god-like speed of his school that made Himura so formidable. Fujita knew that Himura had been hired as an assassin by the Choshu clan, meaning that Himura's commander was most likely Katsura Kogoro. And judging from his calculations by subtracting the number of years since Battousai's first kill was reported from Himura's current age, Himura had been about fourteen when he first committed his first murder.

_'And I thought I was young,'_ Fujita thought sadly remembering the incident when he was nineteen that caused him to leave his home in Edo.

Shying away from his darker memories, Fujita continued to list all the things he knew about a certain redhead, as he quietly noted that the other man had turned a corner. There was that ridiculous bright magenta gi Himura wore nowadays that was the near opposite of the dark blue that he had worn as the hitokiri. And Saito used to gripe about that one habit Himura had about seemingly never going out in public unless on assignment during the Bakumastu. It was harder to track the hitokiri when he only came out during the night. Saito would also go on tirades on that other habit where Battousai would melt into the shadows and disappear with absolute ease before finishing a fight. And then there was that really odd ability that Himura had regarding ki sensing. Himura had better senses than Fujita/Saito could ever hope to have. The man was able to sense every single time when someone was tracking him without fail!

_'Wait a second,'_ Fujita thought as he turned the corner Himura had just moments before, _'What was that last one?'_

Suddenly, a clear voice spoke out, interrupting Fujita's thoughts.

"Why are you following sessha?"

**qpqpqpqp**

A young messy-haired waiter seated Tokio and her charges at a booth before handing them menus. Tokio smiled at the boy, who had to be either Eiji's age or younger, before sitting down gracefully. After looking over the menu, she ordered hot tea and sukiyaki for everyone. The boy nodded and wrote down the order. But instead of walking away, the boy paused and stared hard at Tsutomu.

"Mister?" Tsutomu asked in his still babyish voice. The young waiter blinked his cinnamon eyes then grinned at the child.

"Cute kid," the waiter commented to Tokio, "He looks like you, except the eye color."

"H-Hai," Tokio nodded, blushing slightly at the indirect complement. Tsutomu had inherited his father's golden-colored eyes, rather than Tokio's jade green. However, Tsutomu's eyes were much wider on his face.

"You know," their waiter began, tapping his chin in thought, "I've only seen two other people with eyes that color."

"Really, only two?" Tokio asked, trying to suppress the nervousness she felt. Did this young man know Hajime somehow? If he had met when Goro, then he wouldn't have commented on the eye color. Goro never opened his eyes wide enough to see the color of them. Tokio found herself hoping this young waiter had not met Hajime. Hajime, for all of his wonderfulness, was not the best person to put in charge of children.

"Aw, never mind what I said," the waiter said, shrugging, "Anyway, I'll be back with your food in a bit." With that the boy walked away.

Sighing, Tokio thought back on her dream. Was it really a vision? Who was that young man in it? How did he know her husband? What was the mysterious gift he gave her? And who was it that she was supposed to meet?

So many questions and no answers.

"Tokio-san," Eiji said, clearing his throat a bit to get her attention, "Is Fujita-san going to be eating with us?"

Tokio shook her head before replying with, "He's at the station."

"Oh," Eiji blinked.

"Kaa-chan," Tsutomu's reedy voice implored, "Where's Tou-chan?"

"He's at the station, dear."

"Can we get him?" Tsutomu asked, his eyes huge and puppy-like, "Tou-chanhas toeat with us. I likes playing with Tou-chan. Tou-chan's funny."

"Funny in the head," Eiji muttered under his breath. Tokio frowned at him, before giving him a discreet warning pinch from under the table.

"Itai!" Eiji bit back a yelp, so not to draw attention.

"Eiji, you shouldn't talk about such things," Tokio scolded, "Goro can't help how he is."

"What about Saito-san?" Eiji asked, rubbing the place she had pinched. Eiji had only learned a few weeks ago about his guardian's mental condition. Frankly, he was a bit hurt that no one had told him sooner. Even little Tsutomu knew about the "family secret" and never told him.

"Eiji-kun," Tokio sighed.

"I know," Eiji murmured, "It just kinda hurts that you didn't trust me."

"It's a sensitive subject for him," Tokio explained, "He doesn't like talking about it. I don't think he's even told any of his co-workers. The only people who know about Hajime and Goro are you, Tsutomu-chan, the police-chief, and myself. I don't think he's even told Cho-san, his personal assistant."

"If you ask me, I think he's paranoid," Eiji shrugged, "It's not that bad of a problem. It's more like there are times when he's really mellow and there are times when he's really strict. He just happens to have different names for each side of himself."

"Perhaps," Tokio said, smiling a bit, "If only we could convince him of that fact as well."

"Not likely," Eiji snorted.

**qpqpqpqp**

Cho grinned to himself. He was brilliant! If he couldn't convince anyone to let him out of jail, he'd just break out all by himself!

And Saito though he was too dumb to think up his own brilliant plans. Shows him!

But then the problem presented itself. How does Cho break out of jail?

Cho had been in jail before. That was one of the drawbacks of becoming a lackey of madman trying to take over Japan and then getting caught by the opposing side. However that time Cho didn't break out of jail. Saito had let him out when Cho agreed to be the wolf's lackey instead of Shishio's. So in all honesty, Cho had no idea how to break out of jail any more than Kaoru knew how to cook like a professional chef.

But he would try! Using his newly found brilliant mind (_cough-lie-cough)_ Cho proceeded in finding an answer to his predicament.

"Oi, new guy!" a voice from outside his cell called, "Here's your meal!" Cho turned his head to see a young officer push a plate of food into his cell. Suddenly a rumbling in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Diving at the meal, Cho grabbed the eating utensils he had been given and tore into his meal, swallowing with gusto.

Hey, even broom-headed geniuses needed to eat.

Suddenly, Cho paused in his gulping. He looked at the eating tools in his hands. Instead of the chopsticks he was expecting, there was a Western fork and spoon. Cho hadn't even realized the difference. He had been trained in both Western and Eastern cutlery, so it wasn't that hard for him to switch between the two. Not bothering to wonder why he had been given a fork and a spoon (the officers had thought Cho was a foreigner with his blond hair and Kansai accent, hence the fork and spoon), but instead Cho started devising brilliant plan involving fork, spoon, and a free houki-atama.

**qpqpqpqp**

Fujita Goro had been in plenty of tough situations before. After all, they came with the job as a cop and as the alternate personality of one of the Wolves of Mibu. Fujita had faced crazy swordsmen, petty thugs, raging fires, and the occasional nut-bag trying to take over the country. But he had _never_ faced Hitokiri Battousai alone.

Oh sure, _Saito_ did it all the time. But that didn't count.

For what seemed to be the hundredth time today, Fujita cursed his other half. Why did that ancient wolf just have to suppress Fujita whenever he faced Battousai in battle?! Fujita was going up against Battousai alone and with all but no knowledge. Fujita didn't even know what Himura had been doing for the past ten years! The only information he had gleaned from Saito was all from the Bakumastu.

Well, the good thing was that Himura had led Fujita into a secluded alley, so at least no innocents would get involved. Idly Fujita wondered whether he should draw his sword, or wait for Himura to make the first move.

_'I must be suicidal,'_ Fujita thought morbidly, puffing a bit on his cigarette. Suddenly a soft voice cut though his musings, causing Fujita to wince.

"Sessha asked you a question, de gozaru. Please be so kind as to answer it."

_'Oh, right,'_ Fujita thought, _'I have to explain why I'm following him. But how do I do that without getting chopped in half? I can't exactly say "I was curious if you were really Battousai. You're much shorter and womanly looking than I thought. And so polite too!" If I say that, he'll kill me! He's a hitokiri! Saito! I need your help. How am I supposed to answer?'_

Yes, Saito may be a bastard, but he knew more about Himura than Fujita did. And Saito was the better swordsman, though Fujita loathed admitting it. Fujita waited for a moment for Saito to answer with his usual cold humor.

When silence greeted him, Fujita realized to his horror that he was still smoking. There was no way that Saito could mentally communicate with him if he was smoking! And even if he stopped smoking at that exact moment, it would take a good ten minutes until Saito would be responsive. Seeing that he was alone on his case, Fujita all but spit the white cylinder out of his mouth and to the side, coughing a bit before answering the former Choshu hitokiri.

"Um, I wanted to ask you a favor?" Fujita said lamely, making his statement sound more like a question all while smiling a bit foolishly. He knew (or at least he thought he knew) that Saito sometimes only met with Battousai to talk instead of fight. Hopefully Himura wouldn't attack if he thought "Saito" was going to be "friendly-ish" today.

Himura looked Fujita over with narrowed steel blue eyes, his left hand resting casually on his sword hilt. Fujita smiled a bit wider, completely forgetting how un-Saito-like he must be looking at the time. Himura tilted his head a bit, trying to figure out the new puzzle before him, before grinning in return. The redhead allowed his arms to hang loosely to his sides, his entire posture become more relaxed. His eyes widened and darkened to a softer violet.

"Of course you may," Himura said politely, his rurouni mask firmly in place, "Although, sessha would like to know who is asking the question."

"Isn't it obvious?" Fujita asked, his smile slipping slightly as he grew more confused. Was Battousai blind? He should know who Fujita was, or rather who his other self was! And why was Battousai acting so polite? Wasn't he a bloodthirsty hitokiri? And from what he heard from Saito, weren't Battousai's eyes supposed to be amber, not blue-violet?

"You look confused," Himura chuckled, "You can't fool sessha. You might have Saito's face, but not his ki. Who are you, de gozaru ka?"

For a moment, Fujita was glad he spat out his cigarette. If he were still smoking, he would have coughed up a lung by accident from surprise.

"Lieutenant Fujita Goro, of the Tokyo Police," Fujita replied with a polite bow, slightly unnerved that Himura was able to sense the difference. Yet, at the same time he felt somewhat comforted. There weren't many people who knew about his "condition" and it felt good that there was someone else out there who did, and wasn't trying to lock him up in a madhouse.

"Sessha wa Himura Kenshin," the redhead replied, bowing as well, "What can sessha do for you, officer?"

_'Cut out the part of my mind dedicated to a certain mad Wolf of Mibu perhaps?'_ thought Fujita morbidly. Suddenly in the back of his mind, Fujita felt something stir.

_'Fujita!'_ Saito's mental voice snarled, _'What the hell is going on?!'_

"Shimatta!" Fujita gasped out, his face going pale. Had it already been ten minutes?! Impossible!

Fujita bowed quickly to the red-haired man, saying in a rush, "I'll tell you later, Himura-san! It was nice to meet you!"

Then Fujita hightailed it out of there before Saito could exert his will over the body.

Meanwhile, back in the alley, Himura stood there alone with a blank expression on his face. Sighing a bit, the red-haired wanderer ran a hand through his hair before a voice called out to him.

"Kenshin!" a dark-haired woman waved at the man from the main street, gesturing for him to hurry up and catch up to her, "We're going to be late for lunch if you keep standing there!"

"Gomen, gomen, Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin laughed in apology, walking over to join her, "Sessha was busy, de gozaru."

"Whatever Kenshin. Let's just hurry up and get some food," the tall, spiky-haired man next to Kaoru snorted. Kenshin shook his head. Sagara Sanosuke could be called many things, but he could never be called late for lunch.

And so the group of three headed towards their original destination before Kenshin had gotten sidetracked because he had "heard a strange noise in the alley".

"Akabeko, here we come!"

**qpqpqpqp**

Cho was digging. He was digging frantically. He was digging like an insane Californian gold-rush miner. (Not that he knew what those were.) He was digging with a vigor that would have surprised anyone who knew him.

He was digging with a fork and a spoon. He was digging through the concrete walls of his cell. The meter thick concrete wall…

Obviously, he was nowhere near being a free houki-atama…not that he realized it though.

Grinning to himself, he felt a rush of pride as a hole large enough to stick the tip of his index finger in appeared in wall. Poor man had no idea he was nowhere close…

Then suddenly something terrible happened…

The fork and spoon snapped.

Cho looked at the small hole.

Then he looked at his broken tools.

Look at hole. Look at tools.

"DAMN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!"

Well then, it was time for plan B…

Cho grabbed the blankets off his small cot, chucking madly…

**qpqpqpqp**

"Here's your order!"

Tokio thanked the young waiter (the same one who had taken her order), as she accepted the food and set up her two young charges to prepare for the meal.

"Is there anything else you want to order, ma'am?" the cinnamon-eyed boy asked. Tokio opened her mouth to decline when suddenly…

"Oi, Yahiko-chan!" a very loud male voice called out, interrupting Tokio.

"No one calls me 'chan'!" the young boy yelped out automatically, whirling to glare at the man who had just entered. The man who had hailed their waiter, Yahiko, was tall with brown, and very spiky, hair and a scruffy white outfit. Behind him was a pretty dark-haired woman with blue eyes. And next to her –

"Oh Kami-sama," Tokio gasped, standing too get a better look at the third newcomer, her eyes wide in disbelief. It couldn't be _him_! All the rumors said he was dead!

But there he was, standing in a restaurant, as if nothing had ever happened to him.

"It can't be," Tokio murmured, "There must be some mistake."

But there couldn't be a mistake. No one else had hair like that. True, his eyes were different (they were a rich violet, a different color than what she had been told), but it was him. With that red hair and cruciform scar on his cheek, Tokio knew there could be no mistake.

"Anou, ma'am, is there something sessha can do for you, de gozaru?" a polite voice asked. Tokio suddenly realized that she had walked over to the man that she had been staring at. The man she had been so sure was dead.

Tokio looked up into his eyes, her own jade-green wide in surprise and a bit of fear. This man…This man…

…Knew Hajime. This man probably knew Hajime better than anyone now living other than herself.

Was it possible that he was the man that her dream had told her to meet up with? The one who was an "acquaintance" of her husband? Was he the one who could help her make her husband see the truth that he was one man, a whole, and not pieces? Should she ask this man for help?

Did this mean her dream was more than a dream?

For a fleeting moment, she swore she heard the voice of the mysterious man in her dream whisper, _"Yes."_

"Yes," Tokio whispered quietly to the redhead in front of her, "Yes, you can help me, Himura Battousai."

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked, his eyes going wide at hearing his old nickname on the lips of a woman he had never met.

Tokio took one look at that clueless face, and finally she understood how Battousai of all people could help her with her husband. He had the same kind of eyes, the same kind of spirit… Everything was so clear…

She laughed at the simplicity of it all.

This man, yes, he was the one who could help her. She knew it. She could feel it…

…After all, who better to help a Bakumastu veteran than another one with a similar problem?

Smiling at the former assassin, Tokio suddenly hugged him, tears of joy running down her face, smearing her makeup slightly.

"Thank you," Tokio whispered, "Thank you, thank you. You're the answer to everything. I can finally make that idiot husband of mine understand."

**qpqpqpqp**

The Kenshin-gumi was gaping. Kaoru, Sanosuke and Kenshin had all headed to the Akabeko for lunch to say hello to (or in Sano and Kaoru's case, annoy) Yahiko. Then all of a sudden this mysterious woman had come out of nowhere and latched herself to a certain confused rurouni!

Kaoru, of course, instantly felt jealousy bubble up to the surface of her brain. Did that woman just dare to hug _her_ Kenshin?!

Wait. Did she just refer to Kenshin as _hers_?! Kaoru went red in embarrassment.

_'Baka tanuki!'_ Kaoru chided herself, _'He's not yours…yet. Huh? Where did that come from?!'_ Kaoru felt her face become redder.

"Ma'am, is there something wrong, de gozaru ka?" Kenshin squeaked. He was confused out of his mind on why this woman would call him Battousai and then hug him as if he was her savior.

"Gomen," the woman apologized, wiping her tears away as she let go of the rurouni, "I did not mean to behave so improperly. It is just, I was told to meet you. As I understand it, you can help me with a little dilemma of my husband's."

"Oh, and what might that be?" Kaoru asked, her earlier ire fading a bit now that she found out the other woman was married.

"I'll explain in detail, over lunch, if you would like," Tokio suggested, "But please, let me introduce myself. I am Fujita Tokio."

"Fujita Tokio?" Kenshin blinked, recognizing the name.

"Hai," Tokio said with a slight smile, "I believe you know my husband."

"Aa," Kenshin nodded, "Though sessha was quite surprised to find out he was married when he told me. Though not as surprised as was when sessha found out about Fujita Goro today. Am I correct in assuming that this dilemma of your husband's has something to do with that, de gozaru ka?"

"Hai," Tokio nodded, "Please, help me straighten him up."

"Lady," Sano suddenly said, jumping into the conversation, "No worries. No matter what's wrong with your husband, or who he is, be sure that the Kenshin-gumi will do all we can help ya."

"Even if her husband happens to be a certain Wolf we all know?" Kenshin asked casually.

"WHA?!" Yahiko yelped, "You mean she's married to_ him_?!"

"No way!" Sano agreed, "How did a bastard like Saito get married to a chick like you?!"

"You must be like the Buddha!" Kaoru gasped, her eyes wide.

Tokio laughed at their reactions, slightly embarrassed by how they were referring to her husband…but then again, Hajime wasn't the most social of people…

"Please, sit down, and I'll explain everything as best I can."

**qpqpqp**

Fujita slumped against a wall completely winded. He had run as far as he could after leaving Himura. In the end, he wound up right in front of the police station.

_'My lunch break was going to end soon anyway,'_ Fujita thought mournfully, _'At least I won't be late.'_

_'For once,'_ Saito drawled from the back of their shared mind.

_'I'm not late all the time!'_ Fujita protested.

_'You have some explaining to do, Fujita,'_ Saito growled, ignoring his other half's bristling, _'Speak. Why were you talking with Battousai?'_

_'I don't see how that is any of your business,'_ Fujita retorted.

_'It is,' _Saito hissed, _'Do you realize what you have done? You have shown Battousai something I have been keeping from him!'_

_'Your insanity?' _the Meiji cop suggested sarcastically, _'Sorry, Saito, I think he already knew about that.'_

_'My weakness!' _Saito all but snarled out loud, _'That is what you are, the rust in my armor that I can never get rid of!'_ There was a long pause.

_'Is that how you view me, Saito?' _Fujita asked quietly finally, _'Am I your weakness?'_

_'Ahou,' _the wolf sneered, _'What else do you think you are?'_

_'…'_

_'That's what I thought,'_ Saito said smugly. Suddenly, he began pushing out his will to dominate Fujita's.

_'Saito! What do you think you're doing?!'_ Fujita asked frantically, feeling Saito's mental push.

_'Taking over, ahou,' _the other half replied almost casually, _'or can't you see that?'_

_'Saito! I'm still at work!'_

_'So? You kept me to the side for far too long today. It's my turn. I do a better job than you do anyway.'_

_'Wait a second, Saito!'_ Fujita cried out, only to have his concerns tossed aside like refuse.

"I'm done waiting," Saito growled out loud as he effectively pushed Fujita to the corners of his mind. Looking up at the station before him, Saito allowed a slow smirk to grace his features before striding in.

The wolf of Mibu had returned…

Author-chan's notes: Finished with chapter 3! Yay! So the Kenshin-gumi is going to find out Saito's secret, Saito has taken over (finally!), and Cho has grabbed a brain (not!). Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the incident that Fujita was referring to when he was nineteen was that when Saito was nineteen he killed someone. This forced Saito to move from Edo (present day Tokyo) to Kyoto, and from there he enrolled into the Shinsengumi with sponsorship from the Aizu clan. Saito also had to change his name to Saito Hajime when he went to Kyoto (yes, that's right, Saito isn't his real name!).

I only briefly mentioned him here, but in case anyone is wondering, the Nagakura in Hokkaido that I mentioned refers to Nagakura Shinpachi, the second captain of the Shinsengumi. (Anyone seen Peacemaker Kurogane? He's the short funny one that hangs out with Harada Sanosuke, the other funny one who is freakishly tall and wields a spear.)

Also, Tsutomu wasn't made up. Saito really did have a child named Tsutomu. In fact he ended up having three sons total with Tokio: Tsutomu, Tsuyoshi, and Tatsuo. For the time being though, Tsutomu is the only one born at the moment. He's two in the story.

Oh, any guesses on Tokio's "dream man"? (Bad pun.) It's kind of obvious in my opinion…

Come back for the next installment please! (Yay! Cho torture!)


	4. Return of the Miburo

Author-chan's notes: Hello, everyone! I've finally gotten off my bum and I'm updating this fic! (That plus Sam and I have a little wager going on with this fic…) So back with the insanity of Saito and Fujita…

P.S. Sam, this chapter is for you.

Yin and Yang

(Chapter Four: Return of the Miburo)

After meeting with the Kenshin-gumi at the Akabeko, she had invited them to share lunch with her, Tsutomu, and Eiji while she began to tell them about her husband's "dilemma". Needless to say, the Kenshin-gumi were shocked…

…that was an understatement.

"WHAT?" Yahiko yelped, "Are you saying that Saito has a split personality?"

"Hai," Tokio nodded.

"I always knew there was something wrong with that crazy old wolf," Sano muttered.

"Well it is not that surprising, de gozaru," Kenshin shrugged, "Saito is a veteran of the Bakumatsu after all."

"And as we all know, veterans of the Bakumatsu have their…quirks," Tokio added.

"Yeah, look at Kenshin!" Yahiko piped up with a grin.

"Oro!" Kenshin cried out indignantly. Tsutomu giggled at the redhead.

"Ken-nii is funny, Kaa-chan," Tsutomu declared, grinning at the redhead, "Just like Tou-chan!"

"Yes, just like Tou-chan," Tokio murmured, a small glint of understanding and suspicion in her eyes.

"Tokio-dono," Kenshin began, "What is it exact that you want us to do about Saito, de gozaru?"

"It's slightly hard to explain," Tokio confessed, "Do you believe in prophetic dreams, Himura-san?"

"Sessha has…experienced…such things in the past, de gozaru," Kenshin admitted slowly, "Why?"

"I believe I had a similar experience," Tokio answered, "I believe that it was my dream that caused me to seek you out."

"For what?" Kaoru asked, entering the conversation, "What do you need Kenshin for?"

"He might be able to understand Hajime and Goro's situation better than most," Tokio answered, "After all, he's in a similar position."

"Kenshin does not have a split personality!" Kaoru protested, before looking uncertainly at the red-haired swordsman, "Do you, Kenshin?"

"Sessha can honestly say that he doesn't have two personalities trapped in sessha's head, de gozaru," Kenshin replied with a smile. The Kenshin-gumi raised their eyebrows at that. Sano gave off a cough that sounded suspiciously like a sarcastic "sure…"

"Still, you probably know my husband better than all of us," Tokio protested, "Both of you lived through the Bakumatsu. Please, help."

"Tokio-dono," Kenshin laughed, "Sessha never said sessha wouldn't help, de gozaru. Quite the opposite really."

"Oh," Tokio blushed, "Thank you."

**qpqpqpqp**

Saito strode into the station, as calm as you please. A sliver of a cigarette stuck out of his mouth, the gray-white smoke wafting around him like a cloud…a sinister cloud…a sinister, scary cloud…

…You get the point.

Saito smirked to himself. Finally that idiot Fujita was silent, and his head was his again. As he breathed in another lungful of the toxic cloud that puffed out of the white cylinder in his mouth, Saito was stopped by one of the doorway guards.

"Lieutenant Fujita!" the guard gasped, recognizing the smoking man, "What are you doing? You shouldn't smoke in here!"

"And why not?" Saito muttered, glaring down at the guard causing the guard to whimper slightly at the cold eyes directed at him.

The guard shivered. Lieutenant Fujita may have been his ranking officer, but he had never been someone to be afraid of! For goodness sakes, among the other police officers he was something of a joke…the good cop that was more like big brother than dispenser of justice. But now Fujita was projecting an aura that practically screamed that he was someone to be feared.

"I thought so," Saito smirked when the guard didn't answer.

The guard shivered as the lieutenant walked away. He had to report Fujita's odd behavior to the Chief right away!

**qpqpqpqp**

Chou had tried everything to break out of his little jail cell. He had tried digging his way out (which had failed as was seen last chapter). He had tried bribing to officers (which didn't work since he had no cash). He had tried gnawing on the steel bars of the cell (and nearly broke his teeth). He even tried to be stupid and act like the rooster head and try out a Futae no Kiwami (failing not only in the technique, but in keeping his hand in one piece).

But now he had a new idea that would help him break out for sure!

Chou grinned to himself as he tore the bed sheets into strips and tied them together into a long rope. Giving the rope a few tugs to make sure it was strong enough, Chou nodded in approval when the stripped cloth held. Perfect.

Chou already knew it was useless to try to escape through the tiny window in his cell; there were not only bars, but he would never fit through the tiny hole. That's why he had a different plan in mind.

Fashioning his newly formed rope into a noose, Chou grinned to himself. He knew that every now and then the officers checked up on the inmates to make sure everything was a-okay. The officers also checked to see if any inmates had ended up dying in their cells. If a prisoner was dead, an officer would come in to carry out the body.

THAT was how Chou was going to make his escape. He would pretend that he was dead!

**qpqpqpqp**

Chief of police Kawaji sighed as he rubbed his forehead. It was a slow day so far, with nothing to do but paperwork. Eventually, it was enough to drive a man mad.

Kawaji groaned to himself. He had a headache.

"Chief! Chief!" a cry from outside his office yelled. Suddenly the door slammed open to reveal one of the main entrance guards.

"What are you doing here, Matsuo-san?" Kawaji asked wearily.

"I-It's Fujita-san!" the young guard yelped out, "There's something wrong with him!"

"Eh, what about Lieutenant Fujita?" Kawaji asked, sitting up a bit straighter. Of all the officers in the station only he knew about Saito and Fujita's dual nature. True the man was one of the best officers they had and _the_ best spy they had, but he had to admit, the former Shinsengumi captain's lack of mental stability worried him. Any report about Fujita/Saito had to be taken seriously, no matter how small it was.

Kawaji had already made precautions in case Saito/Fujita went further off the deep end. All of the guards knew that if they saw Fujita act different than normal, they were to report immediately to him.

"Are you going to be silent all day long, Matsuo-san, or are you going to tell me what is going on with Fujita?" Kawaji growled when the guard didn't speak again.

"He's acting strange, chief," Matsuo began slowly, "He's not as jovial as usual…I've seen Fujita on a bad day. He's never been so cold and rude! Not to mention, he was on time for once! And I got this strange vibe around him almost like…"

"…He was a wolf and you were prey, right?" Kawaji finished for him, "Kami-sama, let me guess, he had his eyes open and they were glowing amber."

"Aa," Matsuo nodded nervously.

Kawaji swore.

"That damn wolf!" Kawaji snarled out loud, "What does he think he's doing? We had an agreement! No coming out unless it was an assignment!"

Kawaji snarled again and stormed out of the office looking for his wayward employee.

Meanwhile, Matsuo stood stock still in the office, completely petrified.

_'Scary…'_ the guard thought.

**qpqpqpqp**

Meanwhile, Saito headed down towards the prison cells for the usual inmate check. Fujita had volunteered to do the prison check for this time block after the usual officer on duty, one Lieutenant Yamashita, had taken sick. Even though it was his duty, Saito had an alternative motive for checking out the prisoners.

He was in a bad mood. If one of those idiot criminals pissed him off, he would take advantage of the situation and gain some stress relief…the old fashioned way.

Saito smirked slightly as he caressed his katana hilt. There in cell 24B was his target.

"Nice to see you here, broom-head," Saito smirked.

**qpqpqpqp**

Tokio left the Akabeko and the Kenshin-gumi with Tsutomu holding her hand and Eiji trailing behind her. The woman walked home in much higher spirits than when she left. She had talked extensively with the Kenshin-gumi had the group had set up a date to meet again.

"Kaa-chan?" Tsutomu asked, looking up at his mother.

"Yes, Tsutomu-chan?" Tokio replied with a smile.

"Are you happy?"

"Of course, dear," Tokio smiled, "I think we might be able to get your Otou-san all straightened out for once."

"Tou-chan is not straight?" Tsutomu blinked confused. Eiji snickered at the boy's words.

"Eiji-kun?" Tsutomu asked, looking at his adoptive older brother, "If Tou-chan is not straight, does that mean he's bent?"

"You could say that, Tsutomu-kun," Eiji snickered, "He's messed up in the head."

"But Tou-chan's head _seems_ okay," the younger boy protested, "'Cept for those funny black things that stick out of his hair."

"His bangs?" Eiji asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Un!" Tsutomu nodded, "They look like spider legs!"

"They do, don't they?" Eiji snickered. Tokio rolled her eyes.

"That enough out of you boys," Tokio said sternly, "Stop making fun."

"Hai," the two chorused back to her after exchanging a quick glance. Tokio sighed.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Do you two really think he needs a haircut that badly?" Tokio asked, finally breaking the still.

"Hai!"

**qpqpqpqp**

Elsewhere in Tokyo, trouble brewed.

There, in the darkened streets of Tokyo's slums, where only the bravest of cops (in other words, not Chou) ventured, Ishimaru Ibuki, head of one of Tokyo's many yakuza groups, plotted.

"So you guys got in?" Ishimaru's voice asked the two figures sitting across from him.

"Hai, Ishimaru-sama," the two figures coursed as one. Ishimaru smirked.

"It was easy, Ishimaru-sama," the figure to Ishimaru's right smirked, "Using the forged papers my brother here wrote up, we were allowed in without question."

"The police are desperate for new recruits," the second figure added, "They would hire any bum off the street as long as all his body parts were intact. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if they hired one of those crazy maniacs left over from the Bakumatsu just to fill their ranks!"

"Yes, Ishimaru-sama," the first figure nodded, "With the Saruwatari brothers on the case, you need not worry about anything."

"Quite," Ishimaru smirked, "You've done well. Dismissed."

"Hai!" the two brothers nodded before disappearing.

Ishimaru smirked to himself. The Saruwatari brothers were the best at any form of deceit, whether it was forging documents or going into disguise, they were the best. Ishimaru currently had them doing one of the most important missions for the yakuza yet.

There goal was to get as much information on the inner workings of the police as possible. To complete their goal, the two had done the unthinkable.

They decided to pose as new recruits for the police.

Or more specifically, as new recruits for the Sword Bearing Police.

That's right, ladies and gents…these two men were taking sword lessons under the tutelage of one Fujita Goro…

…Or should we say Saito Hajime?

-

Author-chan's notes: Can we say, foreshadowing with a sledgehammer? I do that a lot in this story.

Congrats to everyone who correctly guessed who Tokio's "dream man" is. Like I said, it is painfully obvious.

Sorry for the long delay in an update, but I've been busy with my other stories. "Like Father Like Son" is eating my soul! MY SOUL! _cries_

Please R&R!


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